Only The Mad
by Criminal Limes
Summary: Are sane. Eighteen students are trapped and fighting for their life, and the clock is ticking until all their hearts stop. To survive one must let go of sanity and do whatever it takes. But sometimes, even that isn't enough. (SYOC CLOSED)
1. 0-1

_In a mad world, only the mad are sane._

The fog is shifting. He can see it moving out of the way, exposing the graveyard for what it is. Headstones carrying the names of hundreds of people stretch out into the gloom.

Can they still be called people? They are, after all, dead. At what point does a corpse cease to be a person and become nothing but decaying matter? Who knows? It's a philosophical question and he has never been one for philosophy.

It doesn't nag at him, to his great surprise, as he heads towards the large tower looming over the open field. He's never been a fan of this overly dramatic, gothic aesthetic, but he can see why one would be.

Just in front of the tower are graves, arranged in four rows of four. All of them have names. Soon, he knows, most of them will be full. But not all.

He can hear a crow cawing as he steps up to the door of the tower and slowly, deliberately, opens it.


	2. Announcement

Update: Applications are **closed** unless I have spoken to you before this chapter was updated. Roster will be out in a week-ish, as it'll take me some time to deliberate. Thank you so much for submitting!


	3. 0-2

_Where am I?_

All I can see is darkness. _Oh god...Edwin, what have I gotten myself into this time?_

I try to sit up. My head hits wood.

I'm in a coffin.

Well, fuck.

I breathe instinctively, then hold my breath. I'll need to save the air if I really am buried alive. _What would Father tell me to do? He'd have a way out of this, surely._

 _Or perhaps not, since it's Father._

I exhale. How did I get here? I try to comb my memories for what I was last doing. Kissing Edwin on the school roof, cuddling, falling asleep holding his hand...

I must have been taken while we slept. How must he feel, knowing that I'm gone? Is he worried? Surely he must be. But the doubt gnaws at me.

My hands search my pockets. My wallet is still there. Everything is, except for my phone. My hand closes around a cube and a rush of relief fills me.

It's short-lived, though. There's still the rather pressing issue of me being six feet under while still breathing.

I reach up to slowly push up at the lid of my wooden prison. To my surprise it slides right off.

When I step to my feet I'm in a small, rectangular room of marble. There are carvings on the walls - I scrutinize them. Me cubing, me with my father, me with Edwin, even one of me and Levi passionately discussing something. Probably politics, possibly George Bush doing 9/11. Hard to tell.

I smile a little at the thought of Edwin and Levi, safe at Hope's Peak. Then my heart sinks at the realization that I have no way of knowing that they actually _are_ safe.

I rush towards the door of the mausoleum - and that's what it is, a mausoleum, the coffin I escaped from on a pedestal in the center of the marble room - and throw it open, rushing out into the night, and almost fall down into a bottomless hole.

I step back just in time, narrowly avoiding falling to my death, and look around.

Everywhere I look, headstones. Some are no better than plaques sunken into the ground, others towering statues. But there's no question about it. I'm in a cemetery.

The hole in front of me is an open grave.

I tiptoe around it, careful not to slip and fall into it, and kneel down to read the headstone.

I fall back in shock.

The headstone displays a carved Rubik's Cube, a heart, and a knife. Below it are the words _Here lies Harper 'Malachite' Hargrave, in name and blood. Child of David and Noriko Hargrave, and fiance of Edwin Black. Friend, student, and speedcubing champion. R.I.P._

 **Harper 'Mal' Hargrave, SHSL Speedcuber**

My head slams into another headstone behind me, and I black out.

* * *

When I wake up I'm in another coffin. Thankfully, this one is open.

"Hhhh-" I sit up, pulling my knife out of my pocket. "Who's there?!"

A figure with neck-length brown hair dressed in a thin parka is standing facing the door. It turns, and I can see a heart-shaped face framed with hair held back by flower hair clips, bright green eyes staring into my own. "Oh, you're awake!" She exclaims, rushing over to me.

"Yeah. Don't sleep much." I sigh and try to stand up. "Who the hell are you and what do you want with me?"

She smiles brightly. "I just found you passed out against a headstone, so I brought you here!"

I nod, my mind vaguely processing that all of this is indeed happening. "...okay. You a kidnapper or a kidnapee?"

She tilts her head to the side slightly. "...if you're asking if I was brought here without conscious knowledge of it? Then I suppose I was a kidnapee."

"Alright, that's good. I don't have to kill you." I stand up and stretch slightly.

She giggles. "You couldn't kill me anyway."

"...don't be so sure." I scrutinize her. She doesn't look particularly threatening.

"Oh, but I am sure." She looks at me. "...you sure have an awfully weird fashion sense, mister."

I sigh. "Mx. And what's wrong with suits?"

"Oh no, it's the cape that confuses me. Are those really still in style?"

I pale slightly. I'm still wearing it? I reach around my neck. Yes, the chain is still there. "...it's a jacket, and it's my fiance's, and I'm taking it off once I find a secure place to do so."

She nods. "Yes, alright. You do that, Mx...what's your name again?"

I pause for a moment. My name… "Harper Hargrave. Also known as Malachite or Mal. Professional speedcuber. SHSL Speedcuber, in fact, if you're familiar with Hope's Peak."

Speaking of which...I reach into my pocket and pull out my signature cube. Painted malachite - where I get my alias. I start shuffling it, then solving. The familiar motion calms me.

She smiles. "Of course I'm familiar with Hope's Peak. I'm the SHSL Prosthetist, after all." She curtsies. "Mukai Tomoko, at your service."

 **Mukai Tomoko, SHSL Prosthetist**

"Oh. Alright." Shuffle. Solve. Repeat. My fingers begin to hurt.

She nods. "We're both SHSLs, huh...that's weird, isn't it?"

"Perhaps it's why we're in this situation…" Shuffle. Solve. Shuffle. Solve.

She looks at my hands. "That sure is impressive, Harper."

 _Harper. She called me Harper._ I pale. My heart races. "Mal. It's Mal."

"Oh. Alright, Mal."

I nod. "Th-thank you." My heartbeat begins to return to normal.

She gestures to the door. "Do you feel good enough to meet the others?"

Nevermind. There goes my heart, racing again. "There are others?"

Her smile only grows. "Yep, they're outside! Come on, let's meet them!"

Before I can protest she grabs onto my hand with a surprisingly tight grip, pulling me out into the cemetery once again.

* * *

Chapter: 0

Survivors: 2/2

* * *

 _A/N: Don't expect me to update this fast, honestly. I'm super disorganized when I don't have SD to keep me motivated. But here it is, Act 0 Chapter 2._

 _You may notice that I didn't announce the roster. That's intentional. The roster will be announced as characters are revealed, for maximum suspense._

 _Characters introduced:_

 _ **Harper 'Mal' Hargrave, SHSL Speedcuber**_ _\- Criminal Limes_

 _ **Mukai Tomoko, SHSL Prosthetist -**_ _SDproductions_

 _I'll try to introduce three or four characters each chapter from now on, so be prepared for that._

 _So, question of the chapter. What do you think of our protagonist? What about our setting? Put all answers, compliments, criticisms, insults, and outright hatred in the reviews._

 _Also, check out_ _ **Double or Nothing**_ _by SDproductions! It's a great story with a great concept and has my favorite of my OCs in it._

 _And_ _ **A Flight of Fancy Despair**_ _is still a thing. A thing that just updated, in fact. So any reading and reviewing of that would be nice, please and thank you._

 _-Lime_


	4. 0-3

There's a circle of mausoleums.

I didn't notice it earlier, with how shocked and unconscious I was, but there's more than one of these things. Sixteen, by my quick count - including my own and Tomoko's. In the center of the circle are four rows of four graves, with marked headstones. That must be what I hit my head against. And in the exact center, amidst the graves, stands a tall tower.

It's made of grey brick, and towers over everything, the very top obscured entirely by fog. The door is chained and padlocked shut. It towers amidst the gravestones. For whatever reason, just looking at it makes me shiver.

I take a step out into the graveyard, nervously cubing with one hand as I hold my knife in the other. My grip on the small switchblade is painfully tight, but as the thought of dropping it runs through my head I decide that's okay. Better to strain my hand than to get shanked from behind with no way to defend myself.

Then again, considering my situation there's probably nothing I can do to defend myself anyway.

Then I hear it.

The singing.

"When I was a young boy my father took me into the city to join the Black Parade. He said son when you grow up will you be the savior of the broken, the beaten, and the damned-"

I freeze and step in front of Tomoko, holding my knife up in a defensive position. The cube is pocketed - the last thing I need right now is its noisy clattering.

Then again, at this point it probably doesn't really matter. We're fucked anyway, aren't we.

"You don't have to do that, Mal," Tomoko says with no detectable emotion in her voice. "If anything, I should be the one protecting you."

"Haven't you heard the name Hargrave before?" I take a tentative step forward.

Tomoko turns so we're back-to-back. "Can't say I have, no. Should I? Are you secretly an incredibly talented genetically engineered supersoldier working for an oppressive foreign government?"

I shake my head at the ridiculous idea. "...no. Not in the slightest. What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, nothing. But no, I've never heard the name Hargrave before."

I exhale in relief. Finally, someone who doesn't know. "G...good."

"Good?"

"You heard me."

"Why is it-"

She's cut off by a low chuckle. It sounds throughout the cemetery, echoing in the trees.

I raise my knife higher, eye scanning the area around me, but nothing is moving. I can hear my heartbeat. It's so loud I'll be damned if whoever's doing the laughing can't hear it too.

Then a large screech sounds. I duck as a mass of black, white, and red shoots towards me. For a split second I can see it clearly - a gigantic hawk with half black and half white feathers and one glowing red eye, a red aura surrounding it. Then I duck and cover my face with my hand. I swear I can hear myself screaming, but Tomoko stays silent behind me.

Then I feel talons digging into my arm. "Hey, Maladapted. Lower your arm, will 'ya? I'm not planning to kill you."

I slowly lower my arm. The hawk is perched calmly on it, scratching its feathers with one hand. "Wait, you can talk?"

"All of this and that's the first thing you choose to comment on?" Tomoko goes over to gently stroke the hawk's head. It leans into the stroking, appeased. "Besides, it's probably an automaton."

"Not an automaton, a god!" It cackles as Tomoko and I let that set in.

"...I'm an atheist."

Tomoko looks at me. "...of all the responses to give a supposed god right off that bat, that's possibly the worst."

"It's okay! They're not an atheist anymore, are they?" It shrieks triumphantly. "Prepare to convert to the church of Icarus!"

"...Icarus?"

The hawk leaps off of my arm. In midair it glows, shifts, and transforms. The glowing form lands on the ground and adjusts its tie with a smirk.

Tomoko and I are staring at a boy. He looks about my age, with messy white hair and two eyes - one green, one a glowing bloodred. His face is contorted into a malicious smirk. He's dressed in a black three-piece suit. His entire body glows with a faint red light.

"..." I can feel myself becoming dizzy. Please, gods that apparently exist now, don't let me pass out like this again.

"He said will you defeat them, your demons, and all the non-believers, the plans that they have made? Because one day I'll leave you a phantom to lead you in the summer to join the Black Parade!" He finishes with a grin.

"...am I supposed to be intimidated by your emo music?" I stare in disbelief. Does this so-called god really think singing MCR is cool?

"Don't insult My Chemical Romance!" He glares at me.

Tomoko pulls on my sleeve gently. "I don't mean to alarm you, Mal, but insulting a god's taste in music is a great way to get smited."

I sigh. "...yes, you're right. My bad."

The boy - Icarus? - laughs. "Good to see Maladapted's getting the idea. Yeah, protip - if you want to live don't disrespect me. After all, I'm a god, and I hold the key to your exit."

"My exit. You mean-" I can feel my expression brightening. "You mean leaving here? Seeing Edwin again?"

He laughs. "Well, yes, that's all possible if you simply-"

The door of a distant mausoleum shifts and begins to move. Icarus grins. "I'll answer all of that later!"

Before I can object he shifts back into a hawk and flies up, so fast my eye can barely keep track of him, to the tower.

The door twitches again and then opens. Standing there is a girl, looking confused and perhaps a little scared.

Short brown hair frames an oval-shaped face with dark brown eyes. She wears a light black jacket over a black-and-white striped t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown sandals.

Were I not in a committed monogamous relationship I might have thought she was cute.

She sees us, and her face brightens. "Hey! Do you guys know what's going on?"

"Shapeshifting sadistic Greek god," Tomoko answers simply.

She blinks. "Uh, what? Is this some kinda prank or something? Because I'm pretty sure that this is illegal. Are we being filmed? Where are the cameras?" She looks around, searching for the cameras in question. I have to fight back the urge to laugh.

Tomoko actually does laugh. It sounds weirdly inhuman. "No, I'm afraid this is all completely real. Though there's supposedly a way out, but Kami-sama flew off before telling us."

She tilts her head to the side in confusion. "Kami-sama? You're serious about the god thing?"

I sigh. "...yeah, the god is real. I...wouldn't say that if I didn't believe it. Trust me."

She stares at me very closely. "...you look really familiar. Have I met you before?"

I stare back. "Not that I know of, no."

She stares even more. "...yeah, I do. You were on the poster for The Streetlight's Call, weren't you? But that means you're-" she pales. "Oh...oh _god_ …"

I sigh and run a hand through my bangs, hoping to give her a brief glimpse of what she surely already knows is there. An empty eye socket, a long thin slash running through it all the way down from my forehead to my cheek.

She doesn't seem disgusted, to my surprise. "...Piper Hargrave, then? I had no idea you were in Japan! If this even is Japan!"

"Harper. And I'm attending Hope's Peak Academy. That might explain it," I mutter.

"Hope's Peak Academy? Really? I'm the SHSL Cinematographer, Itoh Rika!"

 **Itoh Rika, SHSL Cinematographer**

I'm about to mention that I'm a fan of her work, especially in horror movies, when Tomoko cuts me off. "...The Streetlight's Call? What is that? How do you know Mal?"

Rika looks shocked by the question. "You...seriously haven't seen it? It's a super popular horror movie based off of a real serial killer - David Hargrave, the Streetlight Killer! That's-"

"Their father." Tomoko finishes. "Hmm. So that's why you were surprised that I didn't recognize you."

"Yes…"

I stare at Rika. _Please don't be another true crime fangirl. Like the kind that wants to fuck mass-murderers. That's the last thing I need in my life_.

She stares at me in confusion instead of admiration. "You said your name was Harper."

"Yes, it's Harper."

"But in the movie they said it was-"

I sigh. "I changed it, okay?"

"But why?"

I look at her for a moment before removing a pad of post-its from my pocket. "Simple. Do you have a pen?"

She provides the requested writing implement. I lean down and scribble.

 _I am non-binary. My pronouns are they/them/theirs. Thank you for understanding._

That finished, I return the pen to the girl and attach the note to my chest like a nametag.

She nods. "...oh. Okay."

"Yo, can I have one of those?"

I turn around to see a tall figure in a red-and-black jacket, with golden hair obscuring their eyes. Rika sighs and holds out her pen. I provide the post-its. Soon the figure has placed an identical note on their chest and returned the stationary and writing utensil. "Thanks, guys. I owe you."

I look up at them. They're so tall... "And who might you be?"

They grin. "Why, Umbra, the SHSL Copycat, of course!"

 **Umbra, SHSL Copycat**

I raise my eyebrow. "Copycat?"

"You heard me." They don't offer any further elaboration, and I decide not to press it.

"Hey, look! Someone's coming!"

Tomoko, Umbra, and I all turn around when we hear Rika's voice. Someone is indeed coming - a boy in a teal shirt, a bit on the thin side, with a long red scarf looped around his neck. He has the distinct, recognizable look of someone trying to look stoic while actually terrified.

He waves. "Oh, uh…" An awkward pause. He clearly doesn't know how to introduce himself here. "Hello."

I wave back. "Greetings and salutations, fellow citizen. Harper 'Mal' Hargrave, SHSL Speedcuber, newly converted follower of the bird god overlord. And yourself?"

He pauses. "Bird...god...overlord?"

"Yes, bird god overlord," Tomoko states calmly. "Mukai Tomoko. Prosthetist."

Rika smiles. "Itoh Rika, Cinematographer. Nice to meet you!"

Umbra grins widely. "And I'm Umbra. The SHSL Copycat."

The new boy smiles slightly. "Well, I'm...Song Li. SHSL Sniper."

 **Song Li, SHSL Sniper**

Instantly my interest is piqued. A sniper…? Now that's someone that I want on my side.

Rika stares at him. "Whoa. Cool…"

He shrugs. "It's just what I do, really. Though I'm quite good at it."

"You must have good eyesight," Umbra remarks.

"I'd suppose so, yes."

"Ooh!" Rika smiles and bounces slightly. "Then maybe you can spot details we can't, like the little cameras!"

"You still think this is an elaborate prank…?" Tomoko stares at her.

"No risk in checking, I suppose." Song smiles. "I'd be happy to help look around."

"I'll look too!" Umbra says excitedly.

"Alright then!" The three depart, searching the nearby graves. Only Tomoko remains around me.

"...you don't think there are cameras either?" I ask her.

"Of course not." She scoffs. "We've just been kidnapped and that's something we have to accept."

"Yeah, I guess so…" Whatever thought I had is interrupted by the sound of yet another door opening.

* * *

Chapter: 0

Survivors: 5/5

* * *

Well, I guess I lied about the slow updates thing. Really, I have no idea how I'm managing this pace.

To all those whose OCs have been introduced so far, _please_ tell me how I've been representing them! I'd hate to write a submitted OC badly.

 **Itoh Rika, SHSL Cinematographer** \- Shadowclanwarrior

 **Umbra, SHSL Copycat** \- Revolution921

 **Song Li, SHSL Sniper** \- HeroineOfDarkness

 **Icarus, SHSL...god? Bird? Mascot? Who knows?** \- Criminal Limes

So what do you think of the new characters? Who's your favorite so far? Do you like the mascot? Please tell me in the reviews!

-Lime

Daichi Yamazaki: Naw, the talent won't be integrated into the story. In fact, it's pretty much the least remarkable thing about Mal.

VioElcina: The setting is certainly mysterious. As I said. More than meets the eye.

HeroineOfDarkness: You bet. There's a reason there are graves prepared for everyone. They'll be full soon enough.

KomoriRin: Yeah, Mal is one anxious fuck. Given their past, though, it's totally justified.

Shouta Izukai: Naw, Edwin's not trapped, thank god. No chance of him murdering someone and breaking Mal's heart.

Lupus Overkill: Thank you so much! I actually came up with the coffin bit last-second and I'm happy it worked out, haha.


	5. 0-4

CW for some unreality in the middle, just a warning. It's minor but I figured there's no harm in warning you guys.

* * *

The door opens, and I'm shocked to see what appears to be a little girl.

Red hair in an impressive ponytail, Batman shirt, and what looks like...a cape? I reach up to touch at Edwin's coat, still wrapped around my shoulders. Perhaps I won't stick out like a sore thumb.

Hmm. A one-eyed non-binary kid with _my_ upbringing? No, I'll definitely stick out.

The girl looks around at the graveyard, at Tomoko, at me. "Well, this sure does seem like a sticky situation. Who are you, citizens? Where am I?"

"We appear to be in a graveyard ruled over by a hawk-slash-god with a soft spot for the band 'My Chemical Romance'," Tomoko says calmly. I really do envy her ability to stay calm. My own mind is racing with thoughts of motive and intent. And of course, the scariest and most important question.

 _What's he gonna do to us? What's he gonna do to_ _ **me**_ _?_

"...that sounds like a comic book plot." I have to agree with the newcomer. "And that means...there's villains around! Villains that we have to stop!" The girl excitedly poses, and I'm left wondering if everyone here has a fictional medium to compare this to.

"It won't be that easy. The villain is a god," Tomoko points out again. "That being said, I'm Mukai Tomoko, the SHSL Prosthetist. This is Mal, the SHSL Speedcuber."

The girl nods. "I see, I see…well, I'm Kimiko Yuu, the SHSL Hero!" She grins toothily. "Pleased to meet you, citizens! Now let's go stop a villain!"

 **Yuu Kimiko, SHSL Hero**

I blink. "...look, Kimiko, I'm no ordinary _citizen_. I've been involved with criminal investigations before. Some have called me a natural profiler."

Tomoko looks at me. "...oh?"

Kimiko only seems to be happy to hear my statement. "Really? So you've helped catch bad guys before? We can be partners, then!"

"...no thanks. I work alone. Like Batman." I swoosh Edwin's cape dramatically. "...I am the night."

Tomoko lets out a small laugh. It sounds strange and almost robotic.

Kimiko grins. "I love Batman!" She gestures to her shirt. I can't find a single fuck to give, no matter how much I search my mind for one. All my fucks are occupied with things like _where are we_ and _how do we get out_ and _where is Edwin_ and _oh my dear god I'm going to die_.

Saying nothing, I turn and run away from Kimiko and Tomoko. Icarus...I have to find Icarus again. Thoughts rush through my mind, and for the millionth time today I wish I could just turn off my brain.

Is any of this even real? Maybe I'm hallucinating. Wouldn't put it past myself. Maybe I'm in a coma, maybe I'm dead and this is my mind trying to cope with its own mortality. _Edwin...will I ever see you again_?

I feel my head collide with something soft and a cold, apathetic voice say "Watch where you're going, asshat."

And then my thoughts quiet to a normal murmur, and I'm looking into the eyes of a blonde girl in a yellow suit. A red bowtie adorns her neck and her yellow eyes stare blankly into me. "...who the hell are you?"

It takes me a moment to collect myself enough to talk. "...Harper Hargrave. Call me Mal. Speedcuber. SHSL Speedcuber."

She rolls her eyes. "So you solve puzzles for a living?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"...well, you do you then." She starts to walk away.

"W-wait!"

She turns around, looking mildly miffed - though it's hard to tell with how cold and apathetic her face is. "...what?"

"Who...who are you? Do you know any of what's going on?"

"...Miyamoto Miyu. Good Luck. Don't know, don't care. We're all probably just gonna end up in these graves. Or...perhaps not, knowing my luck." And with that she's gone.

 **Miyamoto Miyu, SHSL Good Luck**

 _Well, that was pointless. What a jerk_. I look around me. It appears that in the brief time I was completely lost in my thoughts I made it all the way to the other side of the tower. It's even taller up close, dwarfing me by comparison. All of a sudden, I feel so small.

"...quite an impressive architectural feat, is it not?"

I pivot, caught off-guard by the voice, knife raised in self-defense. The speaker, a black-haired woman in a blue jacket, raises her eyebrows. Her dark green eyes stare straight into my single blue eye. "...already resorting to violence, are we?"

I lower the knife. "...s-sorry. You caught me off-guard is all. I'm...Mal. SHSL Speedcuber."

"...Nakajima Minoru." Her voice is lower and less expressive than one would expect from a girl her age. "...SHSL Secretary."

 **Nakajima Minoru, SHSL Secretary**

Between the glasses and the demeanor she certainly looks the part. I bow my head. "...it's a pleasure to meet you. Sorry about the knife. I'm a bit on edge."

"Understandably so. Apology accepted. Hmm…" She looks around. "This place is rather atmospheric, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it's nice and whatever, but we need to get out of here." Another girl has walked up to us, joining us in staring up at the tower. "I overheard you guys, sorry. My name's Shinju. Shinju Kobayashi. I'm the SHSL Screenwriter."

 **Kobayashi Shinju, SHSL Screenwriter**

I ponder the odds of having both a screenwriter and a cinematographer for a moment, but then my brain registers that I'm talking to _the_ Kobayashi Shinju. I look over at her in awe. "I'm...a fan of your work."

She smiles, her black updo bouncing slightly as she tilts her head to look at me. "Really? You're...David Hargrave's kid, right?"

I nod. "Yes, unfortunately."

"Sorry." She sighs and adjusts her red leather jacket. "...this place really _is_ atmospheric, but this sort of atmosphere is far better off left in movies."

Minoru and I nod in agreement.

A loud screech can be heard overhead, and I look up to see Icarus - or the hawk, at least - circling overhead. Before I can stop myself I swear loudly. Minoru and Shinju look at me as though I'm insane. I give them an apologetic look and rush off after the hawk-

Only to trip and nearly fall into one of the graves. My breath catches in my throat as I stare down at a deep hole dug into the ground. Just before I can fall, I feel an arm grab onto my cape, pulling me back to safety.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! That one's mine, it's got my name on it! No stealing!"

I'm staring at a boy with golden-blond hair streaked with rainbows, bangs held out of blue-green eyes with pins. "Sh-shit, sorry."

He frowns disapprovingly, but it only takes a moment for it to disappear. "Well, hey there. You almost got hurt, huh? Good thing I was here to save you."

"Y-yeah. Thanks for that. I owe you." I stare at the grave, which is decorated with carved shears and proclaims _Sanka Shizuka, SHSL Hairstylist_.

 **Sanka Shizuka, SHSL Hairstylist**

"Why were you running like that, anyway?" He gives me a curious look.

I sigh. "...I was chasing the hawk."

His face clouds with confusion. "Uh...what hawk, exactly?"

* * *

Chapter: 0

Survivors: 10/10

* * *

My absolute inability to keep to a schedule or stay motivated at all is starting to bite me in the ass. All updates from now on will probably be this slow, sorry.

OCs introduced this chapter are:

Yuu Kimiko, SHSL Hero - Captain Quackin

Miyamoto Miyu, SHSL Good Luck - Revolution921

Nakajima Minoru, SHSL Secretary - Penumbro

Kobayashi Shinju, SHSL Screenwriter - Lupus Overkill

Sanka Shizuka, SHSL Hairstylist - Shouta Izukai

I hope I portrayed all of them well!

Lupus Overkill: Yeah, I haven't said much about Icarus yet, but trust me when I say he's great. One of my favorite OCs, legitimately. He's terrible. The Worst. But I love writing him.

arandomcanadian: What's a god to a nonbeliever indeed. Icarus' answer to that question would be 'still a god, you dumb fuck', but don't listen to him. He's an asshole.

Nemris: A sniper is someone who conceals themself and shoots accurately from a long distance. That's only the TL;DR of it, of course, but I'll get more in-depth later. I don't know if Song will have time to use his skills, but who knows?

Shadowclanwarrior: And this is the reason why I shouldn't write at 2 AM hopped up on caffeine. It's been fixed, thanks for pointing it out.

Penumbro: Because Hero likes to make pure cinnamon rolls suffer. The entire Li family needs to be saved.

HeroineOfDarkness: Spoilers! I don't know how you found out about my endgame Icarus-murders-everyone plan but don't go shouting about it over the internet!

Shouta Izukai: I'm happy that people are happy to see a nonbinary protagonist! Considering how much resistance my last nb character got I was a bit worried... (though to be fair that was probably more because they were a bad character than anything to do with their gender...)

SDproductions: I'm glad to hear that I got Tomoko in character. Monohawk loves pets, especially when they're coming from people he's about to watch murder each other. Yep, that's Icarus...he's terrible and I love him. I'm glad to see you like Mal. I was worried about making my own OC the protagonist but I'm glad to see it's working out.

TheRoseShadow21: No one expects the Spanish inquisition Icarus!

Kourtney Uzu Yato: Why thank you.

VioElcina: I'm glad you like it. It'll only get darker from here.

MechBlade007: Relating to Icarus is probably not a good thing. He's a malevolent god-bird who likes to murder teenagers.


End file.
